


A New Plan

by thewightknight



Series: First Order Husbands [9]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24291619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/pseuds/thewightknight
Summary: Upon his return to the Finalizer, Hux begins the first steps in his new plan to bring the galaxy under the control of the First Order.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: First Order Husbands [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/383299
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	A New Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here I am, continuing a series I marked complete years ago. I had thought about continuing it, and had even outlined notes for sequels, and I finally started writing it over the last few months. Go Quarantine! 
> 
> I'd developed the plans for my array mentioned in this fic several years ago, and one of the few moments I enjoyed in Rise of Skywalker was when the new star destroyers let loose with new superweapons, because hey, there's my idea come to life!
> 
> There should be one or two more parts before I bring this series to a more satisfying conclusion than I'd left it at with the previous installment.

Everything in his quarters seemed exactly as he’d left it, except for one minor detail. All the hangers in his closet were still five centimeters apart, but instead of black every piece of uniform in his wardrobe was now charcoal grey and bore the insignia of his new rank.

In his absence, Mikata had been promoted and had performed admirably, as far as he could tell in his review of reports over the last few days.

No one knew how to act around him, and he didn’t lessen their unease, ghosting through the ship, appearing at random stations at odd hours.

It wasn’t just his presence that unnerved the crew, as the days passed. As the pain in his throat lessened, he’d expected his voice to return, but Ren had partially crushed his larynx, incidental damage when he rendered Hux unconscious. Or was it? Maybe this was part of his vision, none of which he’d shared with Hux.

The medical droid who examined him upon his return to the _Finalizer_ assured him it would be a simple surgery to fix, but he declined. If it wasn’t deliberate, it still served as a constant reminder, whenever he spoke, of the weeks he and Ren had together. It also reminded him of how close he'd come to dying, forgotten, on some nameless planet, and of how all of his years of service to the First Order had proven to be worthless in Snoke's eyes. It didn't lesson his loyalty to the Order, though—only to its current leadership. That was a thought he buried as soon as it occurred to him. He knew hi current existence hung on a whim and a prayer. He needed to be beyond reproach. His position, and his life, depended on it.

 _Do you trust me?_ Ren had asked, and he did, with his life and his heart both, and so here he was.

Hux took a few days to reorient himself and review all that had happened in his extended absence. On the whole, what he found displeased him. Mikata had taken advantage of the Republic’s disarray after the destruction of the Hosnian system and the decimation of their fleet and moved to bring several systems under the First Order’s control. His counterparts had not been so bold.

The galaxy was primed for the First Order to assume control and their fleet's commanders had sat on their hands. That wouldn't do. Scowling, he sent out a meeting announcement, demanding the physical presence of his former counterparts. They couldn't refuse him with his new rank, and he was sure many of them wouldn't be happy about that fact.

The newly promoted General Mitaka arrived at his quarters fifteen minutes before the meeting was set to start.

"Admiral Hux, the officers you invited have all arrived and await your presence in the upper receiving chamber,” he said. “We’ve also located all the surviving scientists from the Starkiller development team, as you ordered. I’ve set up a new R&D division with adjacent quarters, and you’ll meet with them this afternoon."

Hux gestured for Mitaka to precede him, following him through the corridors as he mentally revised his notes for this meeting. The men and women who awaited him would eagerly grasp at the chance to supplant him. Many of them had expected to take his place after the fall of Starkiller and resented him anew for his continued success and advancement despite their recent setback. They rose when he entered, and he nodded. He waited until they seated themselves again before beginning to speak.

“Although the Republic is in shambles, it is not my any means defeated,” he began without any preamble. His harsh voice startled them and he suppressed a grin at their startled glances. The ruin of his voice had served more than one purpose.

“In the months that I have been away little has been done to consolidate our new position. That changes now.” That caused a stir, mutterings and glances back and forth around the table. “It is time that we show them the benefit of joining the Order.”

“What? Push expansion now when we are vulnerable?” General Canady sneered, and several heads bobbed in agreement, their holo’d faces bearing identical expressions of scorn.

“Vulnerable how?” Hux rasped.

“You of all people should know.” Heads bobbed in agreement again at Canady’s words.

“I am assuming you are talking about the destruction of Starkiller base?” Hux allowed their angry murmurs of agreement, using the time to moisten his throat with sips of water. When Canady moved to speak again he cut him off. “So you think that the First Order’s might rested solely in Starkiller? You do not think our fleet can stand up to Republic forces, diminished as they are?”

“We are diminished too, in case you’ve forgotten, and now we’re supposed to follow your orders into further folly?” Hux had expected a challenge to his new authority, but he hadn’t expected it so soon. It seemed Canady had appointed himself to be the spokesperson for his detractors. He’d be the first Hux would bring to heel, then. “You’re welcome to bring up your doubts to the Supreme Leader, Canady. I’m sure he’d be happy to hear your input.”

Canady swallowed, face suddenly pale. Hux continued on as if he hadn’t interrupted.

“We will begin by doing what the Republic would not. We will crack down on the smugglers, slavers, and gangs in the Outer Rim and make sure their ill-gotten wealth is distributed among the populations they have victimized. The Republic hoarded their fleet, never sending it out to where the need was greatest. We will show that we are willing to do what the Republic did not.” The officers exchanged glances around the table. Some of them looked excited and he could hear a few murmurs between them, although he couldn't make out the words. “Each one of you will provide a report on a likely system at our next meeting. Please compare notes so we don't end up with duplicates. Dismissed.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day he met with the scientists. Luckily, most of the team had been reassigned after Starkiller’s completion, with only a skeleton crew left on the station to deal with any issues that might have arisen before its first firing. 

“Gentlebeings,” he began, then gave time for their reactions to his voice to fade. “First the Empire, and now the First Order, strove to create massive weapons to enforce their will upon the galaxy. In both cases, as we’ve seen, this only served to create a target upon which dissenters could focus their attentions. I suggest we now take a different track. One not so grand, but much harder to stop. My plan is to create a system which can be reproduced on a smaller scale. This is my initial schematic. Your input?”

He toggled the holo display and his notes and diagrams flared into existence over the table around which they sat. There were a few moments of silence, then excited murmurs began as the scientists took in the information. Their voices grew in volume as they continued, several already noting specific points where adjustments and improvements might be made.

Hux let them talk among themselves, taking in each of their faces. He saw a few expressions of doubt, but they were vastly outnumbered. Taking careful note of these faces, he rapped for attention on the table.

“Can we make this work?” He asked. The bobbing of heads and affirmative reactions far out weighted the doubters. “Very well. Let’s begin.”

It took almost two months before he was satisfied with the prototype design, during which he allowed Mitaka to continue with his efforts to bring more systems under the Order’s control. The other generals began to follow suit, and that gave him progress to report while they worked on this new project.

Once they had a set of working plans and had conducted a few trials using a small test unit, he requested a meeting with the Supreme Leader. It took two days to receive a response, during which Hux had to restrain himself from pacing the length of the ship in agitation, but the acknowledgment finally came.

Hux had prepared and prepared again, rehearsing his plan over and over, to make sure everything was perfect, before the time came and he entered Snoke’s cavernous projection chamber.

“You have something new for me, Admiral? Something less prone to disaster than your previous project?” Snoke asked, and Hux swallowed down the dread that threatened to clog his throat.

“Yes, Supreme Leader. I believe it is possible to outfit every star destroyer in our fleet with the new weapon we are designing, in contrast to our previous single installations. With their targets so distributed, it will be difficult for the Resistance to converge _en masse_ to destroy our weapons, as their forces are spread thin.”

“Indeed? Continue.” Snoke leaned forward, apparently interested in spite of himself.

Hux type in a command on his data pad and it projected their most current plan into the air between them. 

“My plan is to outfit every star destroyer with one of these arrays. Once completed, we will be unstoppable.”

“And what will each of these arrays consist of?”

“It takes twenty-five kyber crystals to fuel each array. The more powerful the crystals at the five cardinal points are, the more powerful the output of each array will be. Three arrays joined should be enough to scorch the surface of a planet and burn off its atmosphere. Five should meet or exceed the power of Starkiller.”

Snoke raised an eyebrow, intuiting his request before he could form it. “You wish to return to the Unknown Regions and harvest more of the crystals found there,” he said, tone forbidding.

“Forgive my presumption, Supreme Leader,” Hux hastened to say, “but I have witnessed firsthand the power of the crystal Lord Ren retrieved.” Snoke didn’t respond, and Hux tamped down on his disappointment. “We will proceed with construction, using manufactured crystals and those from other sources.”

Fingers tapped on the arms of Snoke’s throne as he leaned back, scowling down at Hux. “You presume only in anticipating my response, Admiral Hux. How many crystals do you require?”

Hux stood firm before the rebuke. “Without having one at hand to study, it is hard to estimate, my lord, but we believe that using one at each of the five cardinal points of the array is optimum. More, and we run the risk of overloading the array.”

Snoke continued to stare at him, fingers tapping on the arm of his throne, a random pattern that bespoke irritation. At last, he sighed.

“It seems Lord Ren’s visions about you were true.” Snoke grimaced. “When he hears of this, he will be ….”

Snoke trailed off and Hux finished his sentence without thought. “Irritating.” He froze as soon as the word was uttered, not believing it had escaped from his mouth. Snoke’s eyebrow shot up, and so did Hux’s heart rate. When Snoke started to make strange rasping and hissing noises, he braced himself for whatever blow would strike, but none came. He finally realized that Snoke was laughing.

When the spasms subsided, Snoke smiled at him. “Irritating. Indeed. A description I would not have used, but it does accurately portray what his reaction will be. Very well. Proceed with your work, Admiral. You will have your crystals soon.”

Hux bowed, but before he could turn to leave, Snoke spoke again. “I am most pleased with your efforts, Admiral.”

Hux basked in the praise, all the while knowing how fickle Snoke’s favor was.

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

It was just short of two weeks later that he was notified of the approach of a shuttle.

“Admiral, we have an Upsilon class shuttle on approach. Codes match for Kylo Ren.”

Hux forced himself to be still. It took every ounce of self-control he had to keep his voice level when he responded. “What is their ETA?”

“Fifteen minutes, sir.”

“Very good. Assemble a full honor guard in the docking bay. I’ll be there shortly.”

He did not run to the docking bay. He did not fidget as they waited for the shuttle to land. He remained at perfect parade rest as the shuttle’s ramp extended and a shadow appeared at his head. Just by the shape of the shadow he knew. Of course the Supreme Leader wouldn’t have sent _his_ Ren.

He was familiar with all of the Knights, of course. He’d studied the Order of Ren extensively before Kylo had first arrived on the Finalizer and knew the names and what little was provided on the backgrounds of each.

“Utha Ren,” he said in greeting.

The barest tilt of the knight's helmet acknowledged his bow. A case floated behind her, and he sensed the stirring in the ranks at the casual display of the Force. She gestured, and he led the way. She paced him through the corridors, silent except for her breathing, distorted by her helmet. Theatrics weren't limited to Kylo in the ranks of the Knights of Ren, it seemed.

He should have been disturbed when she needed no direction to the deck that had been reassigned to the research team, but Ren had inured him to casual displays of the Force. A hush fell as they entered the main lab, broken only by the clatter of a data pad falling to the floor from nervous figures.

Utha Ren came to a halt in front of their prototype. 

“This is your test array?” she asked, voice staticky through her helmet’s modulator.

The case wafted gently to the floor when Hux nodded. With a wave of her hand, the locks disengaged. 

“Well, get on with it then,” she snapped when no one moved.

One of the scientists approached, face pale and hands trembling as he opened the lid. He let out a gust of breath when the crystals were revealed.

“Will these suit?” Utha Ren asked, and heads bobbed around the room. There was a sudden rush as the whole group tried to approach at once, but they all froze in place when Hux raised a hand. 

“Brithe and Mosca, please run scans on the specimens and begin the calculations to in incorporate them into the array.”

The two researchers Hux had named donned protective gloves and removed the crystals, one by one, from their protective padding. The rest clustered around as they placed them on the analysis table, exchanging excited murmurs as the first readouts were displayed.

“The Supreme Leader did not explain how these kybers were to be used.” It was said as a statement, but Hux heard the implicit question in Utha Ren's words. 

“We are attempting to build a reactor similar to that which powered first the Death Star, and then Starkiller, but multiple units and on a smaller scale.”

“Fit for a star destroyer?” she asked, and he could hear suppressed excitement in her voice, even through her modulator.

“For a star destroyer, yes. And linkable to other units, for increased firepower when necessary.”

“How much firepower are we talking about?” 

“That depends on these kybers you have brought us.” Hux might have said more, but a sudden increase in noise from the researchers drew his attention. 

“Well?” he asked when the noise continued to rise.

“Sir, initial readings ... This is ... I could never manage to ....” Mosca's voice trailed off as his hands flew between the controls.

“Would anyone else care to complete Mosca's sentences?” Hux snapped, beginning to feel his own pulse increase in response to the excitement of the group.

Brithe cleared her throat before speaking. “If these readings are correct, sir, each array will be able to reproduce the power of one of the Death Star's reactors, and possibly even exceed it.”

“Is that good?” Utha Ren asked.

“Pull up the archival footage from the Death Star's first test firing,” he ordered. As they watched the city of Jedda disintegrate in seconds, she nodded. “Yes, that is good.” Turning to Hux, she fixed him her attention on him in a way that might have intimidated him before he met Kylo. “The Supreme Leader will want to know how soon you can test this.”

“I want a testing schedule by tomorrow's briefing,” he ordered. He didn't issue a formal dismissal, because it would have been lost in the babble.

“Excellent. Now, where will I be staying?” Utha Ren asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He invited Utha Ren to dine with him in his quarters that evening. He didn't expect he'd get any information about Kylo out of her, but was determined to try anyway.

Out of her helmet, Utha Ren seemed in appearance like many of the young officers in his command. She seemed perhaps ten years longer than he, had light brown hair, with eyes a few shades darker, and a higher pitched voice than he expected. She surprised him with a grin and a joke as the service droid laid out their rations.

“Do the plates make this stuff taste better than when it gets glopped on to a tray?”

His croak of laughter startled her in turn.

She surprised him again after the first few bites. “I am not allowed to pass along any greetings from Kylo Ren, or tell you anything about how he misses your presence.”

“I assume that you would also be forbidden tell him that he is missed as well.”

“That goes without saying.” She flashed a grin at him and winked.

He had assumed Utha Ren was there to monitor him for any signs of disloyalty. To have it laid out so plainly that she was sympathetic to he and Kylo’s plight was unexpected.

He had also not predicted that she might also be there to monitor the loyalty of those around him. A demonstration of her capabilities in this regard came during the second week of her stay on the Finalizer.

Although his throat had long since healed, it still required pampering, especially during long meetings. He’d programmed a service droid to keep him supplied with tea and water on such occasions. He’d secured the droid against any tampering, and Opan checked it regularly for interference, but one afternoon as he was raising a cup to his lip, Utha Ren stepped forward from her place against the wall.

“Admiral, I do believe General Canady is thirsty. You should offer him your cup.”

Surprised, although he shouldn’t have been, he watched as Canady paled.

“No, I’m quite all right. No need for any…” Canady protested, leaning back, away from the droid and the cup it now offered him.

Utha Ren interrupted him. “You want to drink the tea,” she said, and Hux recognized the timbre of her voice.

“I want to drink the tea,” Canady repeated, reaching for Hux’s cup. Hux didn’t stop him. All assembled watched in a curious horror as Canady drank the tea down. The poison worked fast.

“I’ll see to your droid, Admiral. We wouldn’t want a recurrence.” With that, Utha Ren swept from the room. Hux continued where he’d left off, ignoring the body sprawled across the conference table.

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

“I understand there was an incident, Admiral,” Snoke said at the beginning of their next holoconference.

“A minor matter, quickly rectified.”

“So I’ve been told. This cannot be allowed. Your contributions to the furtherance of the Order are considerable and must not be interfered with. From henceforth, a Knight of Ren will be assigned to you at all times.”

Hux wouldn’t have argued, even if he hadn’t seen the reasoning for it. The assassination attempt was only a pretext. Snoke would have found another excuse if it hadn’t occurred. Whether Snoke would keep Utha Ren with him, or assign various ones to him on rotation, it made no matter to Hux. He knew that no matter what, the Knight in attendance would not be the one he wished to see most.

“You think we can restore the might of the Empire?” Utha Ren asked that night over dinner.

“I am not interested in restoring the Empire. I wish to forge a new government—one that will benefit all. Under the Empire, resources were concentrated in a few regions and billions suffered while a scant few lived in absurd luxury. The Republic made no moves to rectify this imbalance. That will change under the First Order’s rule.”

“But those scant few will hold on to their fortunes and won’t ally with you if they know of your plans. In fact, they will probably work against you to preserve their precious status.”

“That is why I will lie to them about my plans.”

“Why, Hux. That is so political of you!”

Hux grimaced. “It’s distasteful to play their game, but I must if we are to succeed.”

Utha raised her glass. “To lying for the betterment of the galaxy.”

Hux didn’t raise his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Three weeks later, Utha Ren stood next to Hux on the fighter deck as they watched the feeds from the remote drones that had been sent out to monitor their first test run. Their experimental array had been mounted to a specially rigged TIE fighter after charging, replacing the pilot’s pod, and the TIE would also be flown remotely to the system. The Finalizer was observing from the next system over.

“Is such a distance really necessary?” Utha Ren had asked as they made their plans.

“You’ve seen the projections for energy output for this device. If you care to observe from a closer vantage point, you are welcome to one of our fighters. I would prefer, however, to not have to inform the Supreme Leader of your demise if we have miscalculated the placement of the kybers in the array.”

He’d seen the math, and if there their calculations were off by only a few microns, the results would compare to that of a supernova.

“You have so little faith in your project?” she asked, and he would have had words with her if he hadn’t been the target of her questionable sense of humor on multiple occasions over the last few weeks. Instead of responding, he took his place in the remote chair. He’d insisted on piloting the test fighter himself. It wasn’t necessary, but this was his project.

They had selected a derelict system for their test. Both the gas giants and all of their moons had been mined down to their cores.

“What a waste,” Hux said as he started up the flight sequence for the drone.

“Sacrificed for the good of the Empire,” Utha Ren said.

“There is no benefit to reducing a system capable of sustaining life to this.” There had been civilizations on three of the moons. Only a fraction of their populations had made it off before the Empire’s mining practices had rendered their worlds uninhabitable.

“And yet you vaporized five systems yourself,” Utha Ren said, voice half chiding, half joking.

He laughed, that harsh croak that still took them both by surprise.

“One could argue that there was nothing in those systems of value to the galaxy at large.”

“One could, I guess.”

The moon they had selected had been seeded with sensors. None of them would survive the test, but the data they provided and how quickly they ceased functioning would help them judge the success or failure of this test.

No one spoke while the test fighter completed the short hop in hyperspace and took up its position above the largest moon. Flipping another series of switches, Hux watched the holo feed as the protective shutter over the array irised open.

“Target coordinates confirmed. Preparing to fire,” he announced. He heard excited murmurs from the crowd of scientists behind him as he flicked open the guard over the firing switch.

“Confirm on recording?” he asked.

“Confirmed from all angles, sir.”

“Confirm sensors active?”

“All sensors confirmed active,” a different tech replied.

“Firing in five … four … three … two … ONE.”

Twenty five needles of quintessence shot out from the crystals embedded along the edges of the array, meeting in the center to form one thick beam that cut through space and carved into the surface of the dead moon. The results were instantaneous.

“Report,” Hux demanded, breaking the silence that followed.

The tech monitoring the sensor feeds started, tearing his gaze away from the viewscreen. “Immediate area of effect: eleven square kilometers,” he said, voice trembling with excitement. “One quarter of affected area vaporized. Lost contact with one hundred and fifty three sensors at the moment of impact. Cascading failures continue.”

As the tech continued with his recitation, the scientists all cheered. A hand fell on his shoulder, and Utha Ren nodded at him.

“The Supreme Leader will be pleased.”

And Snoke was. At their next holoconference, he praised Hux, his scarred visage split with a sickly grin. 

“You have made great progress, Admiral, and Utha Ren has spoken highly of your loyalty and initiative.”

“Thank you, Supreme Leader.”

“You will proceed with your plans as you have outlined them to me. Errond Ren will be arriving shortly, as I have need of Utha Ren elsewhere.”

He thanked Snoke again, while trying not to wonder if Errond Ren would share Utha Ren’s dissatisfaction with the current state of things until after the call ended.

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

As before, he greeted the Knight’s shuttle when it arrived. The figure that descended from the gangplank seemed to barely fit through the hatch as he strode down the ramp. Only one of the Knights fit that silhouette. Errond Ren.

Any further thoughts were scattered when a second figure appeared at the top of the ramp. He tried to school his expression as Kylo followed his knight, coming to stand before him, face as blank as Hux was attempting to make his own.

“Admiral,” Kylo said. “The Supreme Leader asked me to personally debrief you on the details of your test run.”

“Of course.” His voice was steady, or as steady as it could be. A brief flicker of something passed across Kylo’s face as he spoke. “Errond Ren, quarters have been prepared for you. I can show you....”

Errond cut him off. “I can find them. The Supreme Leader’s business shouldn’t wait.”

Hux blinked, then recovered. “Of course.” He dismissed the troopers and then sent Opan a message to clear his calendar for the rest of the day.

Kylo paced him, a silent shadow, until they entered the lift and Hux began to key in the code to the R&D deck.

Stilling him with a touch, Kylo said, “Your quarters,” voice soft and low. For the first time he met Hux’s eyes, and Hux’s fingers trembled at what he saw there as he tapped in the code for the officers’ floor.

“How long?” he asked.

“One day,” Kylo replied.

The ride in the lift had never taken so long. The corridor leading to his quarters stretched on interminably. The silence between them had never weighed so heavily. The doors to his quarters couldn’t close fast enough.

He’d forgotten how Kylo’s hands nearly spanned his waist, and how warm they were. They burned his skin even through Kylo’s gloves and his uniform.

He’d forgotten how soft Kylo’s lips were, and how sweet the noises he made were when Hux was in his arms.

“One day,” Hux murmured between kisses. “And then how long will we be separated again?”

“Don’t,” Kylo pled. “Not now.”

He’d never undressed so fast in his life, throwing the pieces of his uniform to the floor without a care. Kylo removed his layers with equal haste and Hux barely had time to appreciate the sight of him before Kylo pulled him close. He had a brief moment of panic when Kylo’s fingers caressed his neck, quickly extinguished as those fingers moved upwards to trace the lines of his jaw.

“Kylo,” he murmured, barely above a whisper. The hunger, the want, in Kylo’s eyes almost made the months of separation worth it. Almost. There was barely enough time for Hux to say his name again before their lips met.

Nothing in the galaxy compared to the sounds he made as he kissed Hux again. Kylo’s buried his fingers in Hux’s hair, tugging on it as he pushed Hux back towards his bed.

Their first coupling was frantic, as if they could make up for all the lost days in only a few minutes. The second, once they’d caught their breath, was more leisurely, as they relearned each other’s bodies. It was then that Hux discovered the new scars—a delicate tracery along Kylo’s unmarked side. The pattern of small, white lines, like frost on glass, were almost unnoticeable in the dim light but Hux could feel the puckering they’d left in Kylo’s skin.

“What is this?” he asked, levering himself up on one elbow to look.

“Just training scars,” Kylo said, shoving Hux’s hand away when he began to map them with his fingers.

“Snoke?” Hux asked, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

“Don’t,” Kylo said, silencing him with a kiss. The kiss led to other things, but those things couldn’t dispel the resurrection of a long buried thought. Snoke had to die.

Eventually they did rise from Hux’s bed, and Hux showed Kylo all his plans and data from the array. And eventually they did dress and leave Hux’s quarters and Hux showed him the actual array, and then took him on a tour of the ship, showing him all the improvements they’d begun.

And if Kylo stood a little too close to Hux, no one thought it anything out of the ordinary. Except now, it wasn’t to intimidate Hux as it had been in the past. And if from time to time the backs of their gloved hands would brush, no one seemed to notice.

Their allotted day ended all too quickly, and the next morning Hux watched, hands clenched behind his back, as Kylo strode up the ramp to his shuttle. He kept his face expressionless as the shuttle departed, even when he felt the light caress on his lips before the shuttle jumped to hyperspace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you want to say hi, [check out my profile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/profile) for where I’m currently hanging out on this here internet thing. If you liked this, please share! Kudos are love and comments are always appreciated.


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